Literally, I Can’t Even…

After seeing multiple posts all over social media today calling for X Factor judge/mentor, recording artist and generally loud guy Redfoo to get sacked, banned from Australia, boycotted and whatever else, I had to check out this new track everyone was so up in arms about.

Okay, so let’s start with the first glaringly obvious fact: Literally I Can’t is not BY Redfoo. Ergo, it is not “Redfoo’s song.” The ‘misogynistic’ track is, in fact, by Texan production/rap duo Play-N-Skillz (Grammy Award winners, if you believe Wikipedia) and features Redfoo… along with Lil Jon and Enertia McFly.

‘Foo’s record label Party Rock posted the clip on YouTube… but as far as I can tell, he didn’t write it, he didn’t produce it, and yet he’s under fire for it. As with most celebs this century, Redfoo took to Twitter to defend himself, tweeting: “Another example of critics victimizing an artist by purposely misinterpreting his/her work to support a pre-existing agenda. #LiterallyICant”

Let’s take a look at that, shall we? Not too long ago (June, actually), there was a huge backlash against 20-year old Meghan Trainor when she brought out a little ditty called All About That Bass. Remember that one? Yes, the critics came out with all guns blazing for Ms Trainor, particularly for uttering the words, “I’m bringing booty back, go ahead and tell them skinny bitches that” – HOW DARE AN UNKNOWN WOMAN CALL SKINNY WOMEN BITCHES, right?

Chart-topping Nicki Minaj brought out a track called Anaconda – heavily ripping Sir Mix-a-Lot’s ’90s hit Baby Got Back – in August (two months after Trainor) that contained the lyrics, “Fuck those skinny bitches, fuck those skinny bitches in the club, I wanna see all the big fat ass bitches in the motherfucking club, fuck you if you skinny bitches” and the outrage focused on the film clip, not the actual song content.

Because… hypocrisy?

Let’s take a look at some beautifully misogynistic and inappropriate lyrics in music from the past year or so:
“I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two” – Robin Thicke, Blurred Lines.
“Put Molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it, I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it” – Rick Ross, You Don’t Even Know It.
“Soon as I pull up and park the Benz, we get this bitch shaking like Parkinson’s” – Kanye West, On Sight.
“You can’t have my heart and, you won’t use my mind but, do what you want with my body” – Lady Gaga ft R. Kelly, Do What U Want.
“She’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress, whoa” – Taylor Swift, Better Than Revenge.
“Ooh you know females, and how they like to run their mouths” – Justin Bieber, All Bad.
“I love your sticky rice, butt fucking all night, Korean barbeque, bitch I love you, I love your creamy yellow thighs, Ooh your slanted eyes, It’s the Year of the Dragon, Ninja pussy I’m stabbing” – Day Above Ground, Asian Girlz.
And, my personal ‘favourite’:
“And I make that pussy tap out, I knock that pussy out cold, nigga you get beat the crap out but that’s just how the dice roll, these hoes want that hose pipe, so I give all these hoes pipe, she get on that dick and stay on all night like porch lights” – Lil Wayne, Rich As Fuck.

Literally… I can’t. I can’t even believe people are nit-picking on one song, or one artist, and the mainstream media is jumping all over it, whilst other artists – many of them hugely successful – are slipping by with equally offensive racial, political, sexual, violence or gender-related themes with absolutely zero backlash.

You know what’s really happening here? The mostly middle-aged, predominantly white men in suits at the helm of the record companies and legal teams are rubbing their hands together with glee. They can’t BUY this kind of promotion, and you can bet your bottom dollar that out of all the people hearing these ‘controversial’ tracks, some will actually buy them (or illegally download them, but pay to see a show). If not for skinny bitches, Meghan Trainor might not be an almost-household name right now.

Controversy equals cash.
Need proof? Miley Cyrus.

My point is, if you genuinely don’t agree with something, don’t even buy into the hype. And stick by your principles – if the “shut the fuck up” part of Play-N-Skillz’ new track upsets you, you should probably burn your Bieber albums, too.

As for Redfoo, cut the dude some slack. He knows satire – the man is a walking, talking caricature. His last solo release New Thang may have featured requests for sexual acts to be performed for film (hey, it worked for Kim K-W) but just remember, this came from the same dude that shook his own thang in obscenely tight animal-print budgie smugglers.